The irony of this great number plate was the driver couldnt have been more unnatractive! Points for trying though as I did go out of my way to check him out!

Bike of the times...

The Chelsea Bike

The Fantasy Bike

The Marylebone Bike

The Hoxton Hotel Bar (www.hoxtonhotels.com) and Le Baron - two new great discoveries that have taken it out of me and left me lifeless on my sofa! Both very different venues, HH is minimalistic, spacious and filled with the East London set while Le Baron (lebaronlondon.com) is the old Embassy Club on Old Burlington Street. The upstairs ostentatious, white marble bar is where its at for the flash-pack but escape the grumpy bartenders and make your way down the stairs to where the fun's at! Here, I was greeted by a very hot Jamaican bartender who actually had a sense of humour (very rare in these sorts of places...!!), a life-size pink mickey mouse who was hung like an elephant, a foosball table and a DJ who admittedly belonged at weddings rather than London's new hotspot but once in a while that can be forgiven and actually provide for a funnier night!

I finally hit the Cellar Door to be greeted with a glass of fizz and a line of...SNUFF!
Clearly the fizz had gone to my head for me to choose absinthe flavour snuff which only lead to severe nose sting and choking! If you suffer from claustrophobia, give this teensy bar a miss! It is the perfect place to meet new people though as its so small you can't help but talk to everyone! Cabaret and live music add to the intimate atmosphere in what was previously public loos!

www.cellardoor.biz/

Unless you have a death wish its best not to take me to a football match as my office learnt the hard way on Monday! Arsenal vs Wigan ended in near punches being flung in my direction as I wasn't concentrating and cheered for the wrong team when they scored a goal! Good one APT!! To be fair Arsenal put on such an appalling show my boss was in a grump for three days afterwards so on that basis only I think ill cheer the opposing team next time- only from another spot!

Sunday is pleasure day. The day you wake up and feel like you can do anything...so how better to start the day with a brisk, windy but sunny walk to Parliament Hill with Spider in tow! Best views in London of London!! Kites piercing the clouds. Dogs chasing ducks. Ducks diving for fish...and its the beginning of the hot men season...all creeping out of winter hibernation...game of kiss chase anyone?!

Shantaram was on my Easter reading list but books that become an effort to read somehow "mistakenly" get mis-laid! I devour a book a day on holiday but not many get finished in day to day life...and Shantaram was one of those! I had such high hopes but didnt make it past chapter 4. The broken english just got irritating so next on the list is Legend of Suicide by David Vann...book reviews claim I will be so engrossed I may want to sue the author for lack of sleep...

HERO -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9197945/Walking-with-the-Wounded-disabled-soldiers-prepare-to-tackle-Mount-Everest.html

Cirkus Cirkor : Underman

As we know patience is not one of my attributes so I was a little frustrated to be penned in at the end of the row as this was a slow starter...three portly, scandinavians yapping on stage in-between a couple of standard acts from level 1 at Circus School was not exactly what I was anticipating! Am I a harsh critic? No! We are spoilt with so many incredibly talented performers in London that mediocrity doesnt wash anymore, and this performance was exactly that. The show was somewhat flat and un-exciting but I do know better than anyone that you have to try these things and more often than not you will be nicely surprised.

This time the pleasant surprise was when three quarters of the way through the 3 guys on stage proposed that everyone in the audience swapped seats as you never know who you might meet...and that was my cue to bolt for the door!

Circus Workshop anyone??

Being at the Roundhouse, a mecca for creativity, I have decided it's too easy to criticise from the audience, therefore it's time to throw myself out there and take part in circus and creative workshops this summer!

Despite the show, I was pleased to have the opportunity to venture into a land I do not often see- the camden playground...with something to see in every direction, be it graffitied walls, chalk drawn pavements or larger than life sculptures protruding from the sides of buildings this was always the punks territory, now it is a mish-mash of eccentrics and non-eccentrics escaping to a different corner of London to immerse themselves in this melting pot of artistic charm...and if you happen to be in the hood- don't miss the delicious offerings of Gilgamesh...we had to blag our way in but it was well worth it, so be more organised than me and BOOK before you go to avoid having to tell porky-pies and risk missing out!

Mini PT enjoying a cocktail at the Cuban Bar

The Cuban Bar

Belgium...petit paye, petit esprit I used to say but it grows on me every time I return. My mothers side of the family are here where we spent our childhood summers on the shores of Les Plages du Nord. One of my clearest memories was my mother elegantly poised on the sand patiently making crepe flowers for us to sell to others for seashells. Our sand stall always drew gasps and Maman could never work fast enough for the demand.

This weekend unravels with food- if there is one thing the Belgians do well it's the  richest, most delicious food one could dream of- carpaccio with fresh truffle and fois gras, croquettes au crevettes, melt in your mouth scallops and not forgetting the potent smell of thick, warm waffles lining the beach-top. Luckily I cant be belgian through and through as I hate beer so that is one less thing to add to the list of calories- this weekend is all about pleasure, not denial!

And in between those glutinous moments there is a round of mini golf, several bicycle rides and a quick tennis rally as of course I didn't think to bring trainers so bare-footed tennis is more about the giggles than the match-point! All this followed by some mad peddling of a kwistax or two - see pic as too hard to describe these to non "Zoutians"  (Le Zoute is where I am), a photography exhibition providing shelter from the rain before popping into the local casino (as you do) for a Baileys one ice and a round of Black Jack and Roulette magically multiplying €25 into €180 - Maroussia, my cousin, had the good sense to pry me from the table at that point...but this random stop in is definitely going to be a new seaside tradition!

Fashion illustrator Cate Parr - now here is a woman who's art makes you dream of being able to use a brush with such sensuousness. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

The past is History, the future is a Mystery, the present is a Gift. That's why it is called a Present.

You have to admit - Damien Hirst is fascinating. I dont necessarily believe him to be an artist in many respects but he is one to make a statement. Art can be a statement but only when there is an element of talent entwined within it. In this case this "artist" does not even have the patience to finish his own ideas! Those famous spot paintings adorning many a wall are simply the hard labour of one of his minions! Imagine if Van Gogh palmed off his half finished canvasses to someone else to complete?

 

Hirst is a cross section of contradictions creating foreplay for the mind. There is not a person that can walk by his work and not have an opinion. Is this art? No. Is this exciting? Yes! I almost wish I was not escaping to Belgium's beaches this weekend in order to saunter around the powerfully weird Tate Modern exhibition starting tomorrow!